Any feedback is welcome. Also, I have a really hard time unpacking quotes/film techniques, so any tips?
Describe an important moment in the text. Explain how this moment changed at least one important character or relationship.
In the film “Catch Me If You Can” by Stephen Spielberg an important moment is when Carl Hanratty, an FBI agent tasked to capture Frank, tries to convince him no to run away and go back to the life of crime he once led. This moment changed Frank because it directed his life towards a positive one, and his bond with Carl is also strengthened.
As Frank is about to board the plane to escape, Carl emerges from the “light” and tells Frank all the trouble he had to go through to give the life that he deserved instead of rotting in prison. This would ultimately bring the two closer together. The use of symbolism through the bright lighting to represent hope, it shows the audience that Carl will be the one to give Frank hope and get him out of the dark place he has been trapped in most of his life due to the divorce. Moreover, through Carl’s actions, it shows the audience that he cares about Frank and sympathises with him deeply to the point where he would even risk his job for him. In a way, he sees himself in Frank and connects with him. This is because he too is in a broken family because his wife and daughter left him. He knows what is like to be lonely and would do all that he can to help. As an audience, we feel happy for Frank that for once in his life he has someone who is a good influence and cares about him. Through this moment these two characters shared, it makes them and their relationship all the more real and endearing.
Carl then goes on to tell him about his wife and child, and how he has been “living the lie [because] it’s easier.” Frank then stops, contemplating whether he should stay or go. Carl then looks at Frank in the eye and tells him that “nobody is chasing [him].”Through the alliteration of “living the lie” it helps us understand and highlight the reason why he led the life of crime in the first place. By impersonating a pilot, it gave him the attention and it made him feel valued, which he has been deprived of. He kept “living the lie” because it was “easier” than facing the truth that he was lonely and had no one to turn to but himself. As an audience, we sympathise with Frank “because he is just a kid.” Had he not had a bad upbringing, then perhaps he wouldn’t have had to go through all the hardships he faced. We sympathise with him because we can imagine how hard it must be having no stability in your life and constantly feeling lonely and unwanted. That would take a toll on anybody’s mental health.
In conclusion, an important moment in the film is when Carl tries to convince Frank to not run away. This changed Frank because it helped him realise that he doesn’t want to run away anymore, and it also connected Frank and Carl in a way that strengthened their relationship.